1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hair care compositions and methods for preparing such compositions which provide the multiple benefits of cleaning, conditioning, styling, curl retention, bodifying, stiffness and setting properties to the hair in the application of a single product to the hair. More specifically, the invention relates to hair-care compositions containing a styling polymer and a cationic compound in a non-anionic surfactant system. The surfactant system contains nonionic surfactants, semi-polar nonionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants and mixtures thereof. The hair care compositions of the present invention, when diluted in water during use, form and/or release the styling/conditioning agents to the hair in the form of macrofibrils or dispersed small complex particles.
2. Description of the Related Art
The process of hair care is multifaceted and generally involves washing, conditioning, and styling the hair, often as a three step process. The first step of the process involves the thorough cleaning of the hair with an initial application of shampoo. After the hair is cleaned and rinsed, the second step of the process involves conditioning the hair with a conditioner, which is applied to the hair and allowed to thoroughly penetrate into the hair. After a sufficient period of time, the residual conditioner is rinsed off the hair with water. Typically, conditioners contain cationic conditioning agents or suspended silicone conditioning agents which adhere to the hair follicle after the residual conditioning product is rinsed off the hair. The third step of the process optionally involves the application of styling agents to assist in arranging and forming the hair into a desired configuration.
The desirable results of the hair care process include a persistent look and feel of clean hair between washings, ease of combing, absence of static electricity, manageability, soft feel and shine. In general, these results are obtained by utilizing a hair conditioning product which is separate from the hair cleaning product. The use of two separate products for cleaning and conditioning of hair involves the use of a shampoo cleaning product and a separate rinse out conditioner or the use of a shampoo cleaning product and a separate leave-on conditioner. The use of two separate products in the hair care process is regarded as somewhat of an inconvenience to consumers.
A limited number of hair care products are available which clean as well as condition the hair by the use of one product, i.e., a two-in-one conditioning shampoo. Certain two-in-one conditioning shampoos typically contain water, anionic surfactants, foam stabilizers, insoluble nonvolatile silicone conditioning agents and silicone suspending agents. Other such products contain cationic conditioning agents in place of silicone. However, all of these two-in-one products have various limitations. These limitations are well known in the art.
Hair care products which impart hair styling, i.e., shape and style retention, are numerous. Such products typically fall into two catagories: (1) products that chemically alter hair, and (2) products that temporarily alter the shape or style of hair style. Each of these methods has its own problems. For example, temporary styling requires a separate application step following cleaning and/or conditioning of the hair. Additionally, many of the polymer based styling aids tend to make the hair feel undesirably sticky and stiff after application.
Still other hair care products are available which simultaneously clean, condition and control dandruff, i.e, a 3-in-1 anti-dandruff shampoo.
Since known two- and three-in-one hair care products have various limitations, a need exists for surfactant based hair styling shampoo compositions which are capable of delivering cleaning, foaming, conditioning, curl retention, body and styling properties to the hair in one application step, with limited or no build up of the compositions on the hair after multiple application, and at the same time are free of nonaqueous solvents. Avoiding the use of nonaqueous solvents in hair care compositions is highly desirable, from economical, environmental and consumer demand points-of-view. It is desired that new hair care compositions provide comparable or superior cleaning, foaming, conditioning, curl retention and styling properties to the hair in one application step, as compared to prior art hair care compositions and/or the use of two or more products in two or more application steps. Further, a need exists for compositions with the above described properties which are efficacious on fine, long, or chemically damaged hair.